Purchased 2016 Tacoma, was not informed of recall (rust on frame), looking for advice.

Have a read in this thread on what the usual frame treatment from the dealership is for the "Limited Service Campain"

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/toyota-recall-on-3rd-gen-frame-rust.679596/

The areas that you posted pictures of are only "considered cosmetic issues and do not affect the normal operation of the vehicle."

In fact for your area, that looks good for a vehicle that was not treated with an annual oil spray.

Unless you can stick a screwdriver through a rusted out hole it is "considered normal" by Toyota standards.

So unless you have rusty holes in your frame... you will have no chance of a frame replacement.

If the Limited Service Campain has not bee done on your truck they will clean out the inside of the front box section of the frame, dry it out, put some white wax based CRC around the seams in the front frame and install a few plugs... (above thread covers all that)

Even once that is done you will probably not be happy...

Truck will last a long time

but if you want the underside to going back to looking like new... 25-50 year truck...

You have a couple different options..

a) Wash, wirebrush, apply rust paint. then apply a protecting barrier coating annually.

b) Spray with rust neutralizing spray, then cover with a protecting barrier coating.

c) Just spray with a General purpose barrier/protectant.


There are a LOT of threads here and Youtube vids about different frame undercoating treatments...

I'm also in a high salt area, but I treat my truck annually with ACF-50 and CorrosionX-HD





I like ACF-50 because you can even coat your engine compartment and exhaust with it. (it will smoke at first as the carrier is cooked off on the exhaust)
and it is thin to creep in between surfaces,
adds a chemical to help stop Galvanic corrosion (corrosion where different metals are touching),
Neutralizes any existing corrosion.
And it really lubricates everything on the truck.
It does not damage rubber but keep it away from the soft foam door seals (as well as any oil based product)

CorrosinX-Hd (or any Cosmoline based product) then is used as a barrier to keep water out.

Or you can go to Some place like Rust Check and have it oil sprayed.

Just avoid any place that puts on a rubberized undercoating.

And if you are real anal about having a new looking frame... and easier to clean...

After the corrosion treatment has set for a couple days, spray the crap out of your frame and underside with mould release or silicone spray. Dirt will not stick as easy.

 

Toyota sent me a letter around 2009 on my 2001 tundra it needed to be inspected for rusty frames, and replacing fuel tank straps, plus the rear tire cross member as part of their program back in the day. Like a fool i was i used fluid film every year. My frame was still very good, so was everything else. It looked better when i sold it last feburary than those pic's above. I think as an owner they need to share some responsibility to keep their vehicle clean during the winter months, especially the undercarriage, and not allow salt to collect on everything.

 

Tell that to a friend i know that had a 2005 dakota....had a rust hole on the frame big enough to put your hand through after 6 years.

 

Thanks for the in-depth response and photos, much appreciated, I will certainly avoid the rubberized undercoating.

 

One issue that even washing down the frame in the winter months won't help is...
mud and crud build up in the boxed frame area, and especially the front cab mounts.

Ask anyone that has done a cab mount chop to fit bigger tires, they are all surprised at how much wet "mud" is inside the cab mount.
You'll see a small hole at the front of it, make sure you gets lots of oil/protectant sprayed in there as the mud holds water and it will corrode real fast.

Fuel tank straps on 3rd gens is just regular mild steel, and with the rubber liners over it, tend to hold water too, so it will be a problem on un-sprayed trucks.

 

Go to the Toyota website and type in your VIN to see its service history and if there are any other recalls that need to be addressed on the vehicle, also check the TSB sticky notice posted here for it:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/list-of-t-sbs-etc.562671/

 

Happy to help!

The really sad part Toyota is they KNOW about the corrosion issue,
KNOW about designing vehicles for salt and cold climates..
wet environment design criteria...

Thy apply that knowledge to the Range Rovers, and even Japanese vehicles that are going to the "snow belt" in Northern Japan...
But except for the body panels (they learned that lesson in the 80's and were very embarrassed) do not apply it to the other areas of the vehicles.

If anyone thinks Toyota is "Being the good guy and standing behind their product" in the frame replacement campaign...
Realize that the ONLY reason they did it is because they realized that they were going to loose a class action lawsuit or at best have a very bad image even if they won. So they settled the suit by doing the frame replacements and present themselves as a company that stands behind their products... no lawsuit, all those trucks would have been the owner's problems. Just marketing.

Even now with the frames... after all the frame replacements they still did nothing on the 3rd gens, then started adding a light wax based spray on the frames afterwards (19's and 20's and 21's) are all going to have the same problems.

Don't get me started on the Electronics, Steering rack, Actuators and sensors on this truck in relation to water intrusion and corrosion...

If people don't "oil spray" these trucks your going to have issues. Frame rust being one of the minor ones...

There is no way they did proper reliability testing on these vehicles with salt spray testing and humidity testing.
How do I know that? Front TSS sensors failing from water was one that even basic testing would have found... and I could go on....

The Tacoma is a "base model platform" so does not get the "love" that other platforms like the Highlander or Tundra get... and they try and reduce costs on it very aggressively.

 

There is a guy in BC that works with rusty vehicles. His name is Avery!

Shout out to Rust Valley Restorers.....love that show.